.bk J05
.fl S816jW.j
.fd Daily journal for S816 and feature descriptions
.fn f148 to f152
.ed S816
.rd S816
.ri jW

-wk Nineteen of twenty assigned workmen reported.  Sherwan arrived late, saying that he had been excused by a doctor due to stomach problems.  Magid excused by fAB and departed at 0830 for a medical appointment.  He said that he would likely be absent on S817.

-sf lH still in Damascus registering for a post-graduate program in archaeology.  sNP worked in the house after breakfast processing objects.

k 13
dy Took a series of photographs, v82, to document features excavated in the past week.  Finished excavating the safety baulk accumulation under topsoil, f115.  In the process, we exposed more of floor, f143, which extended to the east.

k 14
dy Took a series of photographs, v83, to document features excavated so far this season.

k 22
dy Removed accumulations and laminations f86, f87, f88, and f89, from a narrow strip east of revetment wall, f3 and west of the west face of the west baulk of k12.  The purpose was to determine when the top stones of f3 were placed.  We stopped before excavating f90, which comprised a dam of small stones on the south and red, bricky material to the north.  To fully explore this feature, k12 must be completely excavated to this elevation, which will not happen this season.  jW looked at the pottery lots in the field, which seemed to be Mittani, Phase 6, which we would expect from the stratigrapy.  The results were documented in view, v84.

k 33
dy We continued to excavate floor accumulation, f137.  Two pottery lots, q204 and q209 were tagged for immediate evaluation of the phase by mKB.

k 32
dy We continued to excavate natural accumulation, f136, which has not changed since we removed the topsoil.  The outside sections of the east and north baulks confirm that the accumulation is uniform to a depth of about two meters from the surface.

k 100
dy We continued to excavate natural accumulation, f110.  It is very similar to natural accumulation, f136, in the adjacent locus, k32.

f 89
ds This laminar accumulation is very similar to those on the west side of the revetment wall, f3.  This may mean that the top stones were above any glacis which may have been a part of the temple mound.

f 90
ds jW noticed that the top stones of the revetment wall, f3, in the vicinity of this narrow band of accumulation rest on the bricky material which constitutes f90 north of the stone dam.  This may indicate that the top stones of f3 were laid just as the main wall became covered.


f 148
ds The apparent threshold of a northern entrance to highly compacted floor, f143, along the southern edge of k22.  It consists of two flat stones at floor level flanked by a stone from installation, f144, on the east and a cluster of smaller stones on the west.

f 149
ds A row of at least four flat-topped stones running east to west in the northeast quadrant of k13.  They are roughly aligned between isolated stones, f138 to the east and f139 to the west, but are not in physical contact with them.  The stones of f149 are also roughly aligned with the stones of f150 to the west, but are separated from them by a gap of over one meter.

f 150
ds A row of at least four stones running east to west in the northwest quadrant of k13.  Two are flat topped, similar to those of f149 to the east, and roughly aligned with them.  Two others are rough-hewn and may not be associated with this installation.

f 151
ds A very large limestone block in k21 which may have been a top stone in the final version of revetment wall, f3.  It is the first of those aligned north-south after f3 turns to the north at its western edge after running basically east-west for most of its length to the east.  The stone is displaced to the west from other stones in the line and is at least partially founded on soil, which suggests that it was displaced from its original position (which may be as little as 10cm to the east.

f 152
ds A group of three isolated stones in k34 that rest on soil pillars near the bottom step of staircase f21.  Their function is unclear.

-sg In a meeting between gB, fAB, and jW it was decided to focus the work in the last days on presentation of what has already been found rather than additional exploration.  Therefore, we will assign two pickmen to excavate k100 and two pickmen to excavate k32 so that the sightlines to major features such as the revement walls f3 and f41, the escarpment, f74, the staircase, f21, and the stone installations in k43 and k44 can be seen from the new viewing platform being constructed south of k32.  As soon as possible, two pickmen will follow the escarpment east to see if it links with the one in unit J1.  After the north sections of k13, k23, k33, and k43 are drawn we will remove the long north baulk that links them.